The World in Color
by supergirls2008
Summary: One shot. Eadlyn talks to her parents about their Selection to get advice for her own. Happens during the Crown, before Eadlyn's other talk with Maxon. No Crown spoilers.
I knocked quietly on my father's bedroom door, not wanting to disturb he and my mom if they were getting some much needed rest.

"Come in," I heard my dad call.

I opened the door and found my mom and dad sitting on the bed, wrapped in each other's arms, smiles permanently etched on each of their faces. It really was disgusting how much they loved each other, and the near-separation had only strengthened their feelings.

"Hi," I walked over, sitting on the edge of the bed. It was technically my father's room, but I always knew I could find mom in here. I'm not sure she had slept a day in her room since they got married. "I was hoping I could talk to the two of you about a few things."

"Anything, sweetie," my mom replied.

"Well, I was hoping we could talk about your Selection," I started awkwardly. "How did you two know you were right for each other? When did you know? Why did dad almost pick someone else?"

They looked at each other with wide smiles on their faces, seeming to forget I was even in the room.

I cleared my throat. "So… when?"

"The first time I saw her" my dad said, at the same time my mom said, "When I almost lost him."

They looked at each other again and began chuckling.

"What? What are you talking about, mom?"

Mom sighed, leaning further into dad's arms. "Well, I think I've mentioned before that entering the selection wasn't my idea, your grandmother pressured me into it. I never in a million years would have imagined being selected, and I never dreamed of, or even wanted to be a princess. I met your father the night before the selection started. I was crying, yelling at him…"

Dad's grin stretched from ear to ear, "That's an understatement. She accused me of being shallow and locking her in a cage. The only reason she wanted to stay was the food."

My eyes widened. I knew my parents hadn't always seen eye to eye, but I can't imagine why my father would have let her stay after that.

"Our next date was worse," my mother continued. "I kneed him in the… well… you really should have sent me home for that one, dear."

"You what? So how did you go from hating him to marrying him?"

She looked pensive, "He was so sweet and thoughtful. I told him we should be friends, that I could help him choose a wife."

"And you did," dad had not taken his eyes off of her.

"Your Grandfather kicked me out after I suggested dissolving the castes on national television."

My jaw hung open as she continued, "That night there was a rebel attack and your father," pain was clear in both of their eyes. "Your father and I spent the night locked in a safe room together. Only then did I realize how deeply I cared for him, how I couldn't let him go. He convinced his father to let me stay," she squeezed his hand.

"Wait, if you were so in love," I said, turning to my father, "Why did you almost marry someone else? Who was she?"

"Ah," dad winced slightly at the thought. "That would be Kriss Ambers. I don't believe you have ever met her, she wasn't thrilled about coming in second place to the rebellious America. As for why I almost married her," he paused. "Your mother was a troublemaker from the moment she arrived.. But I would have done anything to be with her." She squeezed his hands. "Would you like it to take it from here, my dear?"

She laughed and whispered something in his ear before turning to me. "There was… someone else for me. Before I met your father. Someone I couldn't quite move past. Every time I let your father close, I doubted my feelings for them both. After your father proposed, he found out the identity of this man, and found out… well, that I hadn't been entirely honest with him during my time at the palace."

He picked up where she left off, "I was so angry, I almost ruined both our lives."

"Who was it?"

My parents turned to me, shock clear in both of their faces. My mother blushed and my father leaned over to kiss the blush from her cheeks, gesturing as if to say "This is all you."

"He was a six, from Carolina," mom stammered, "My mother would have never approved, but we had saved money to be married. We broke up before the Selection, he wanted me to have a better life. But when he was drafted, he ended up at the palace, which… complicated things with your father."

I waited, expectantly. My mother sat up straighter, smoothing the duvet which covered her. "His name was…" she sighed, "Aspen Leger."

"WHAT?" I stood up. My father was laughing into my mother's shoulder, she glared at him. "As in, General Leger? The man who taught me to shoot a gun? Taught Ahren to ride a bike? You… loved him?"

"In a way," my mother shrugged. "But after I met your father and Aspen met Lucy, he became more like family. Without him, I would have never come to the palace and without me, he would have never met Lucy."

I paced, running my hand through my hair as I had seen my father do so many times. It was a lot of information to digest. "This whole time, I have felt like you had something unachievable. A perfect love story that I could never have. But here I thought my life was complicated, yours sounds like it was almost a disaster!" They both laughed. "Thank you, this really helped. " I paused, considering everything again. "Wait, dad, why did you hold on for so long? If she was yelling at you and you were constantly fighting, why didn't you consider one of the other girls?"

"I did," he said. "I did consider the other girls, your mother made me. But being with her was like waking up. It was seeing the world in color. The other girls faded into the background in comparison."

My heart sank. Only one boy I had met made me feel that way.

 **A/N: Let me know if there are any other one-shots you would like me to tackle, from any of the books! I like stories involving Maxon, Aspen or America, but I would consider an Eadlyn story if it was the right one :)**


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